REMODELLED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1703, 20 March 1913, Page 5

REMODELLED.

%E - GOVERNMENT PRINTING! ; OFFICE. THEN AND NOW. SOME SWEEPING REFORMS. SPEECH BY MR. FISHER. The Hon. Pi M. B, Fisher was enter'', taincd at Godbor's rooms in Cuba Street ( last evening by tho members of tho'Gov-< crnment Printing Office Association, and' presented with an illuminated address ill! recognition of tho improvement which ho' has effected in the working conditions of, tho Government Printing Office employees.; Mr. 11. Roberts, president of tho ossocia-' tion, acted as chairman, and the total attondanco numbered well over ono hundred. Those present included tho Government Printer (Mr. John Mackay)' and representatives of .various kindred associations. • Proposing the toast' Of "Our Gi.est," Mr. Mackay said that Mr. Fisher : bad done more for tho staff during tho eight months lie had been in office than had boon dono during tho whole previous existence of tho office. Tho toast was heartily honoured, arid Mr. Fisher was received wit'h cheera and applause.when ho roso to respond. Ho thanked those present for the way in which they had received him, and for tho address, which was so admirably produced from a technical standpoint, ho declared, as to bo worthy of being presented to his Majesty tho King. ' , 1

Unfulfilled Prophcclos, When the present Government . tools office/ the'Ministe'r' went on to remark, dolorous prophecies were disseminated • about tho, country to the effect that the advent of tho new Administration would bo followed by a reduction of wages and « unemployment. Ho was glad to say that I these prophecies had not been fulfilled. Personally, ho felt that if.ho were to go out of public lifo that night ho could honestly say that ho had carried out the • duty of a public man to so administer his trust as to leave it in a better condition ' than he had found it. He thought ho' could claim that he had mado conditions in the Government Printing Office better than ho had found tliem. (Hear, hoar, ■ and applause.); Mr. Fishor said that ho . did not wish to hurt anyone's feelings or to assign responsibility for tho sfcito of * the Government Printing Office when tho present Government came into power. Ho would say, however, that at tho ! time when lio took over the Govern-1 ment Printing Office, it was a disgrace to the State which ran it. (Hear,* near.) Tho building, Mr. Fisher con--' tinned, was insanitary, over-crowded, and lull of tro|iblo and grievances. Ho hold that it should 1.0 tho function of the State not to bo dragged by tho scruff of tho neck into tho Arbitration. Court at, tho heels of private employer's. • It should bo tho mission of tho State to become a ■ model employer and demonstrate what the private employer ought to do also. > (Hear, hear, ana loud applause.) "

Extensive Reforms. ■ 1 ■. Ono of tho first things lie did' nftof, visiting tho iPriiiting i Oflioo was'to ediidj a doctor right through the institution.' Tho report of that doctor had nover been • published., If it hod been it would have . made tho public's hair stand on end and, i ho thought, justifiably. . Tho system of v grading which ho found in force was also,' ' to his mind, unsatisfactory, and not caU culated to produce men who could turn l out such ,an illuminated ; address as hndi' been presented 'to him that night. After : very arduous conferences with Mr, Roberts V and those associated wi'ili him in tho Printing Oflico chapel, tlio Minister continued, the wholo internal' system and organisation of the Department had been remodelled, (Hear, hear, and applause.) Ho thought that this would bo a good', thing for tho Department. Cabinet hod I arranged to gat the now addition built; as soon as possible.! It was badly wanted.; The first portion of tho now building to be erected would bo lavatories and con-! venionces, so, that employees could get away as soon as possible from tho iniquil-: oufi and pestilent places they had to use, at tho present timo. Ho had arranged! t with tho Minister for Labour that tho Printing OSico should in future be in-, spcctod by Labour Department officials,! and kept up to the hall-mark of exccl-) lenco which was demanded of private cm<: ployers. Broken Timo, * Another projected reform was that- of, doing away with tho system , of; broken time, and to substitute con-| tinuous employment as far as it was: possible to do it. Ho did not suggest that' the Massey Government could at, oncoj solve problom3 of . wages and casual labour,! but they would try to do tho best they I could. Ho had seen men employed in. the' . Parliamentary grounds compelled to cease 1 , • . work for a fortnight on end, and had' wondered how they contrived to live and, to provide for their wives and children.. ■ The same problem existed in the Gov- . eminent Printing Oflico. The State could! and must afford decent conditions of casual labour. 'Workers should bo paid 1 enough,' the Minister went on to remark,. not, only to covet their own cost of living, but to enable them to marry and provide for their children, to mako pro- . vision for sickness and for old ago, That" was what "ho called, a living wage, and w long as ho was in public life,ho would, help all ho could : to get it. 1 ■■■•;

The Labour Party. , \ The statement had been made locally, Mr. Fisher continued, that lie liau Raid up north that ho was out to smash the Labour party. Needless to say. he had ' mado no such statement. Ho I'ecogmseu that the Labour party was bound Iw, come, and did not want to stop But' tliero was a distinction to bo drawn between tho thinking section of ■ Lalxmij and the .section that acted , wnhou(l thought. Ho looked upon himself m Uw House as ft Labour member. (Applause.) f Ho wanted to help tho right Labour party which looked to gain its ends-peacefully at tho ballot-box, and felt that tho sooner in this country they destroyed tho rcni-i nantof decayed Liberalism and hau in its placo a definite Labour .party with definite ideals, tho better it would W for tlw , country. (Applause.) Young Now Zea- - landers were determined, tho Minister ooiitinued, that'tho iniquitous systems, which existed''in- older countries should' not bo allowed to outer New Zealand. (Ap-, plause.) Shoddy goods produced abroad; by sweated labour must bo excluded from 1 New Zealand. Labour., in this country was not sqmsrto bo depreciated by competition withthe sweated labour of older,lands. Ibis country did not want to bo dragged down to .tlio level of older countries in tho matter oE labour conditions, but wjnted these countries to riso to tho level of Now Zealand* Pensions.

In Kit subsequent remarks, Mr. I'ishefurged that tho," risks faced by workers, should Iks considered in assessing thwr wages, nnd that miners, sailors, olid others should bo paid nioro on this account. 110 stressed also the necessity of providing invalid pensions eotkat workx ers disabled in pursuing their vocations might bo. provided for as wounded eol-; dicrs were, and not reduced to.humiliatv ing beggnry.. These proposals tho Mm-' ister spoke of as a dream of tlio futuro which 110 hoped would bo realised_ before long. Finally Mr. Fisher dealt with tho pension laws,' contending that they, should bo reviewed and placed upon a national basis. It was wrong, ho urged, that n thrifty man who had saved tho prico of a home should be lienalised oil applying for a. pension, while an utir thrifty man who had saved nothing got a pension without question. Reciprocal Trade. Remarking that 110 was leaving for Australia 011 ,tho movrow (to-day), Mr. Fisher made a. brief reference to reciprocal trade, nuil expressed the hopo that his visit might lead to a. oompoct being entered into with Av.>tra)h that would 1)0 of benefit to In*h countries. The Minister was loudly applauded as he concluded. '■ >